Articles From The Classical Teacher

Caveat Emptor: What to Look for in a Latin Program
by Leigh Lowe
Classical Teacher, Winter 2005

With Latin defended as the core of a classical
education, we often meet parents sprinting to add Latin to their curriculum. Though noble in their pursuits, parents are often too quick to pick up any Latin program that mentions Caesar or promises to improve SAT scores. But choosing a Latin program is not an insignificant task. Putting a program in front of your student and writing “Latin” in your schedule does not a classical curriculum make.

Here are a few questions to ask when looking for a Latin program:

#1 Is the program age-appropriate? We have stated time and time again that students who begin Latin in the grammar years have a great head start on students who wait to begin Latin until high school or even college. Not that there is any problem in starting late if you have to, but there are advantages to starting early. The point is: THERE IS NO NEED TO RUSH. Many parents, though their children are still fairly young, get anxious about whether their child will move fast enough in a particular program. But more important than reading Virgil by age nine is that foundational Latin skills are mastered and that students feel confident enough to continue. Latin’s benefits do not come in crash courses – they are earned through continuity, consistency, and time. Start with a program designed for young students, one that includes sufficient grammar instruction, age-appropriate vocabulary, and plenty of support. A Latin program should complement your existing curriculum (especially your language arts selection) and promote slow and thoughtful progression. Beware of a program that just “stuffs in” an abundance of information. A good program is discerning about the quantity and sequence of the information presented. And remember this: when students fail in their attempt to learn Latin, it usually results from trying to do too much too soon; it is almost never because they were too slow or methodical.

#2 Does the program utilize a “parts-to-whole” approach? The monks are adamant here. Be wary of a program that overwhelms a student with the whole picture before he has time to learn and apply the parts. Think of it this way: you would never teach a child long division before teaching addition and subtraction, would you? As with Latin, dissecting a complicated whole is significantly more difficult than first learning and applying the smaller parts. In this respect, the debate over learning to read offers a good illustration. Many modern reading programs throw children into reading and expect them to learn the phonetic rules by osmosis. It is called the “whole language” approach. Advocates of phonics have rightly pointed out that this approach serves mostly to confuse children, and that the best way to teach children to read is to introduce them to the letter-sound correspondences first. With the phonics foundation in place, students are considerably better prepared for dealing with the whole language later.

The approach to teaching Latin should mirror the parts-to-whole approach taken in phonics. Latin is an inflected language, with endings performing almost all grammatical functions. A student should learn one rule or system at a time (a set of declension endings, for example) which can be applied to all nouns of its class – instead of prematurely tackling a complex whole (a sentence for example) and being required to grammatically parse words. Whole-to-parts approaches seriously impede the pace at which a child can progress because they de-emphasize the system of the language and the breadth of service individual skills provide. In avoiding whole-to-parts programs, beware of programs that introduce advanced ideas like principal parts prematurely or stress translation over grammar. If a program is too tough for a parent to comprehend and teach, it will probably be too difficult for the child as well.

#3 Is the program grammar-based as opposed to conversational? We really don’t need to tell you that no one speaks Latin anymore, right? So, why choose a Latin program that prepares a student for a study abroad trip to – the middle ages!?! People don’t rush off and learn Latin to converse with each other. Why, then, use a conversational Latin program that prioritizes the least important thing about Latin study? Aside from the significance of spoken Latin in prayers and hymns, there is almost no reason one would ever be asked to SPEAK Latin. Don’t get bogged down worrying about pronunciation or conversation. Latin has garnered its reputation as the summa of subjects for far more than just producing Latin conversationalists.

Latin assumed its position as Queen of the languages because it is unique in its ability to transcend traditional educational boundaries and empower students like no other subject can. Because it is rigorous, systematic, finite, and cumulative, Latin prepares students to excel in math and sciences. Because it is the base language for English and all Romance languages--with the grammar, syntax, structure, and all the subtleties--students of Latin become masters of words, precise in spoken and written discourse. Conquering Latin, a student knows he can conquer anything. A grammar-based Latin program retains these intrinsic rewards, focusing on the uniqueness that makes Latin study so powerful. Conversational programs, on the other hand, build instruction around stories, translations, or pictures and are inherently unstructured or erratic, consequently stripping Latin of its core benefits.

Furthermore, a grammar-based approach to the language teaches students self-discipline and proper study habits, since a grammar-based approach is, by its nature, extremely structured and incremental. Taught in this way, Latin is the best thinking-skills course a grammar school student can take.

#4 Is it a Latin program or a derivatives program? Many Latin programs stress the relationship between English and Latin vocabulary and exalt derivatives as the main reason to pursue Latin. In fact, many programs focus exclusively on Latin derivatives. The popularity of this approach is probably due to the mistaken belief that the greatest benefit of Latin is the knowledge of Latin root words. This is one benefit of Latin, for sure. But the greatest benefits of Latin, as we said before, come from the grammar study that involves an aspect of the language that would be completely missed if a student studied only derivatives. But there is another point to be made here, and it is this: the best way to learn Latin derivatives is a direct study of the language itself. In other words, a child will learn Latin derivatives better if he studies the entire Latin language than if he studies the derivatives independently. This is because he is learning the words in some kind of context, making it easier for him to remember them.

#5 Does the program overburden the student with vocabulary? It is very easy to inundate a child with more words than he can genuinely master. Though it can be exciting for a parent to recognize Latin as a source for new and challenging words, it should be remembered that grammar school students are increasing their vocabularies at every turn, in every course. Rather than peppering a student with list upon list of unrelated words, a limited vocabulary base of 200-400 Latin words should serve as the vocabulary spine for the year and be integrated as the guide for language study in all other courses. Introducing too many words at too fast a pace will take the student’s attention away from the grammar that must be mastered early in order to understand the language properly. The trick with Latin is the grammar. Once the child has learned Latin grammar, vocabulary is the easy part.

#6 Is the program visually appealing? Aesthetics are not unimportant. Beauty, after all, was of equal importance to truth and goodness to the ancients. When you look at a Latin program, take into account its appearance–does it overwhelm you or your student? Does it trivialize the subject with trite pictures? Does it provide enough space to write answers? Does it have margins for notes? Does it arrange lesson content in easily accessible styles? Basically, do you want to open this book? Do you like it? Latin itself is challenging–there’s no need to let the organization of the lesson provide unnecessary distractions!

#7 Does the program focus on Christian or classical Latin? This is not necessarily an either/or question. But, one of the things you will want to notice about a program is whether it includes Christian Latin content. Latin was the international language of Christians for over a thousand years. To exclude this in favor of focusing solely on Roman Latin content is a common mistake. Acknowledging both Latin’s Christian and classical heritage offers the more historically accurate cultural background for the language. In addition, Christian Latin programs usually encourage Christian (also called ecclesiastical) pronunciation as opposed to the classical pronunciation. Remember, no one speaks Latin, so pronunciation shouldn’t be your priority. While the two pronunciations are similar, Christian Latin pronunciation is closer to English in many ways and thus a little easier to learn. Furthermore, Christian pronunciation is the pronunciation you will hear in the Latin music sung by great choirs today--to us, a terrific incentive for Christian Latin.